Thank You!

"Thank You!" Image by Ophile Photo

The Richmond Craft Mafia wants to thank our awesome customers, our talented crafters & designers, the super helpful staff at Plant Zero & the Plant Zero Cafe, our generous volunteers, Art180 and Ophile Photo for making the 2011 Handmade Holiday such an amazing event!

The Richmond Craft Mafia & a few of our Alumni Members Image by Ophile Photo

Serious Richmond Craft Mafia is Serious Image by Ophile Photo

Il Gatto Selvatico :: Vendor Feature!

Il Gatto Selvatico has taken the traditional craft of embroidery and freshened it up. You can find her amazing necklaces, earrings and new wallhangings this year's Handmade Holiday!

Here's a little bit more about Il Gatto Selvatico...

Describe your studio.
My studio has a sewing machine lots of yarn, floss, fabric, felt and leather in it. All different sizes of hoops and a collection of vintage postcards of mountains framed above my desk.

What is your favorite thing about the Holidays?
I love the change of seasons, the cripsness of the early winter air, and the anticipation of the first snow. It's a magical and romantic time. I enjoy walking around and seeing all the lights and decorations. In Rome I enjoyed walking around Piaza Navona where there is an open air market where you can buy supplies to build your own nativity set. In Italy everyone makes their own nativity sets out of paper, lights, straw, and plastic figurines. Elaborate creches that look like dioramas are built in the churches and the Vatican has a life sized nativity scene set up in the Piazza. I enjoy being with family and celebrating the traditions of both my American and Italian family.

What's your newest crafty creation?
I have been working on a serious of embroidered portraits of grandmothers. They are my grandmothers and my husbands grandmother. I plan to add more embroidered portraits of old ladies who I found particularly fascinating in Rome to the series.

Is there a story behind your shop name?
My shop name, Il Gatto Selvatico {il} {gat-to} {sell-va-tee-ko} means 'wild cat' in Italian. It is a specific breed of small striped wild cats with bushy tails called Felis Silvestris Silvestris (they look a little like the domestic cat). They live in parts of Europe, including Rome which is where I was living when I came up with the name. There was a family of feral cats living in the courtyard of the apartment building where I was living, who I grew attached to, so I named my shop in honor of them in a way.

What's your soundtrack while you're working?
Owen, Slowdive, Built to Spill, Lower Dens, Beirut

What are your influences?
I'm influenced by the boxes and collages of Joseph Cornell, the sculptures of Kiki Smith, the embroidered works by Jenny Hart, and the paintings of Julie Heffernan. I'm also influence by vintage fashion and antiques.

Turnerbots :: Vendor Feature!

Who doesn't love robots?! Turnerbots combines robots (amongst other quirky things) with her love of clay and makes the most amazing objects including ceramic coin banks, cups, vases as well as other non-clay items like squishy toys, and altered clothing.

Here's a little bit more about Turnerbots...

Describe your studio.
My studio is split between an extra room in my house and some space in VCU's Ceramics area. Clean(ish) projects happen at home and all clay work is done amongst the busily working clay students. Either place involves lots of stacks which is the closest I get to an organized workspace.

What is your favorite thing about the Holidays?
If I'm honest, I'd have to say it's dressing my cat in his elf costume. I must say he loves that! Secondly, I love tacky lights and house decorations. It doesn't align with my craft sensibilities, but I can't help it! What's your newest crafty creation? Is there specific item you'd like to feature for the show? I have so many new items this year. The robots have gone two-dimensional with ornaments and magnets. I have also started making vases which draw on my favorite robotic elements without being representational. I'm pretty excited about all of these things and the holiday shoppers seem to be also.

Is there a story behind your shop name?
I started turnerbots unofficially when I was embroidering robots on shirts for friend. A friend of mine named the shop for me. It was through their encouragement that I continued and here I am, years later, making the robots I will be selling at the craft sale.

What's your soundtrack while you're working?
Any good dance music or Harry Potter audiobooks.

What are your influences?
Tiny mechanical elements. I love the small screws on watches/eyeglasses, disassembling clicky ink pens, and any small systems of that nature.

Dawn Stitches :: Vendor Feature!

The Holidays always inspire the desire to decorate and spruce up your home. And banners are such a lovely and easy way to do it! Dawn Stitches will have lots of Holiday banners and other fun handmade home decor items like quilts and ornaments at Handmade Holiday.

Here's a little bit more about Dawn Stitches....

Describe your studio.
I am very lucky to have a whole room in our 1920's Craftsman house. It's really sunny and gives me plenty of space to play with all of my fabric.

What is your favorite thing about the Holidays?
I love getting together with my whole family. Also we mostly buy handmade items and it's so fun to see all of the creative gifts! Now that we own a house it's been so fun to decorate and start our own holiday traditions.

What's your newest crafty creation? Is there specific item you'd like to feature for the show?
I am especially excited about my fabric banners. I've made small ones for the holidays that would be perfect on a fireplace mantle. I have 'sweet dreams' banners that would make a great decoration for a child's room. Also I'm thrilled to have lots of quilts for sale. My quilts are 100% cotton and are filled with organic batting. Furthermore I am available to make custom orders for quilts and banners - I love doing custom work to make a person's vision come true!

Is there a story behind your shop name?
Dawn is my middle name and I've always loved it. A new day, a new beginning.. I feel like each time I start a new quilt the first stitches are the beginning of an exciting process.

What's your soundtrack while you're working?
I am all about streaming Netflix while sewing. I have a laptop set up next to my sewing machine. Anybody have any favorite shows let me know!